War on Ecocentrism (Donald King Timeline)
The War on Ecocentrism was an international conflict between US forces, and a number of African nations, against radical environmentalist insurgents in West and South Africa. The War was "declared" by US President Donald King in a 2061 speech following November Horror. Vying to destroy radical ecocentrists who had attacked Washington, DC during the November Horror attacks, King launched airstrikes throughout West Africa to combat the extremist environmentalist group Army of Terra. Financial and military aid was provided to local governments to fight the insurgents, while several thousand specialized American soldiers were deployed as "advisors". In 2062, a new front opened in the War, with the US Invasion of Guinea, a country that had been controlled by an ecocentric government for several years. The vast majority of fighting in the War on Ecocentrism occurred in Guinea, where the death toll could be as high as 360,000, including 20,000 US troops. As revealed by the 2067 Leak of Federal Government Documents, the purpose of the war effort was largely to allow Bruce Industries access to mineral reserves in Guinea, which had been removed following the nation's environmentalist revolution, as well as prevent the rise of a similar ecocentric group in other resource-rich nations of Africa. Background The rise of global climate change has been one of the most important issues of the twenty-first century. Its effects have been particularly pronounced in the developing nations of Africa, particularly West Africa, where rising sea levels flooded coastal slums, while droughts and famines ravaged the interior. Meanwhile, the region became the site of a "gold rush" of sorts, in which many mineral corporations discovered vast resource deposits in the region, including huge reserves of bauxite (aluminum ore), iron, cobalt, copper, rare earth elements, and energy sources including petroleum and uranium. As resources, particularly minerals and metals, depleted around the world, as demand (especially in emerging Asia) continued to increase, many corporations came looking to Africa to extract a vast amount of untapped mineral wealth. Already known to host a large amount of resources, geological discoveries in the 2030s uncovered even more potential mineral deposits in the region. Despite generating much economic activity, the wealth created by the African "mineral rush" largely remained in the hands of powerful multinational mining corporations, and very little trickled down into the local population. Bruce Industries, a colossal mineral company that established a near-monopoly in West African resources, supported corrupt governments that provided access to reserves without charging royalty taxes. The corporation made tens of billions of dollars selling these minerals to the emerging industrial powers of Asia, while the African nations remained in derelict poverty. This caused significant tension with the local population, that was exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Ultimately, these forces led the rise of a radical environmentalist, or ecocentric, movement in the region. Many joined insurgent groups that attacked mining infrastructure and corporate assets, while leaders of the uprising made popular speeches about the Greed of the West and the environmental destruction caused by companies like Bruce Industries. The Army of Terra was one such organization, operating throughout West Africa, while the Guinean Earth Front, along with its associated Guinean Earth Party, grew to power in Guinea. Ultimately, the GEF took power over the country, and banned all mining activity, causing Bruce Industries to lose nearly 20 billion USD per year due to its inability to access the local bauxite reserves. Ultimately, Bruce Industries' CEO, Donald King, would become the American president, and launch the War on Ecocentrism to remove the GEF from power, and prevent the rise of a similar environmentalist government elsewhere in Africa. Declaration of War On November 2, 2061, one day after the events of November Horror, Donald King declared "war on Ecocentrism" in a widely broadcast speech. On November 1, radical environmentalists affiliated with the Army of Terra allegedly hacked into the computer systems of American drones and several conventional missiles, and used them to attack civilian targets throughout Washington, DC. Supposedly in response to this event, King launched airstrikes throughout Africa against Army of Terra targets, and supported local governments with financial aid and "advisor" troops in order to fight the rise of radical environmentalism. As was revealed in the 2067 Leak of Federal Government Documents, the true purpose of this action was to protect the corporate interests of Bruce Industries in the region, so as to prevent the similar sort of political uprising that occurred in Guinea before, that cost Bruce Industries tens of billions of dollars. Although the leader of the Guinean Earth Party as opposed to the Army of Terra, Lansana Toure became the despised face of radical environmentalism and the criminal most wanted by the US. He was killed during the Invasion of Guinea in 2062. Subconflicts Missile strikes were launched throughout West and South Africa after November Horror, with Army of Terra targeted especially. Specialized American troops were deployed in Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa following King's declaration of war. These actions were largely undertaken to protect Bruce Industries mining infrastructure from environmentalist insurgents, and prevent a radical uprising such as occurred in Guinea in the 2050s. Nigeria offered oil reserves, Mali and Niger had Uranium, South Africa had valuable platinum metals, while the remaining nations offered ores, minerals, gold, and diamonds that provided Bruce Industries with billions of dollars in revenue. These regions were subject to the majority of focus during the War on Ecocentrism. The Guinea War was by far the largest part of the conflict, involving close to 700,000 American troops and a similar number of insurgents. Militia groups established by the former president Lansana Toure, as well as an increasingly strong Army of Terra, fought the American occupation in Guinea. Revolutionaries used cheap 3D printers to produce low-quality but effective weaponry, while the US used advanced technology including controversial antimatter munitions, battle robots, and powered infantry exoskeletons to fight the war. Results After the end of King's highly unpopular presidency, Democrat Albert Norman quickly withdrew all troops from the region. The Guinean Earth Party re-occupied the country, while the Army of Terra insurgency made a comeback across Africa. Some analysts predict possible environmentalist revolutions in Ghana, Niger, or Sierra Leone in the coming years due to the increasing power of the Army of Terra and other ecocentrist groups. Bruce Industries no longer exists, eliminated by a government act spearheaded by Albert Norman, while several Asian companies have taken over the remaining resource reserves in the region since then. Category:Donald King Timeline Category:Wars Category:Africa Category:Geopolitics 2060s